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I CAN'T EXERCISE, I DON'T HAVE......
TIME
Life is BUSY for EVERYONE these days! But some of the busiest people I know exercise regularly; they're fit, healthy and have an abundance of energy!
So if this is your go to excuse, what can you do? Quite simply, make time. Some activity is better than none. So try with just 10 minutes a day and work up. I remember when I used to do school pick up. I'd go earlier (parking was better) and instead of gassing with the other mums or scrolling through FB sat in my car, I'd do a 20 minute run. Eventually I got myself a running buddy and we ran 20 minutes every day before pick up. How can you utilise your 10 and 20 minutes you have spare in your day? Because you do have that time.
On a Sunday, look at your timetable for the week and schedule in your exercise. It's not a - maybe I'll exercise on Tuesday at 10.30am, it's a definite. And make sure that nothing else gets in the way of it. That day get up 20 minutes earlier and do the jobs that might get in the way of you exercising. You know you'll feel better after, so when you sit and make excuses why you can't go, visualise that feeling you feel after doing the class.
I'M TOO OLD, TOO FAT, TOO EMBARRASSED, NOT FIT ENOUGH
First of all, everyone has to start somewhere, so starting is key. You only get fit by doing fitness, so as long as you enter the fitness arena at YOUR level (beginner) then you won't feel intimidated, you won't kill yourself in session one and you'll finish feeling like you've achieved something, not failed at something. Join a friendly and supportive group, where you feel part of it and not on the outside of it. Join with a friend for support.
If you have booked onto a class starting in two weeks time, try and lose a little weight beforehand, see it as a short term goal that you can aim for. That way you will feel so much better about yourself as you enter the class and you'll want to continue.
If it's a confidence thing, then you need to shake it off. You CAN do it and you KNOW that if you can get yourself to that first class then you will probably get to the second and third. We ALL make excuses to not do things because we are nervous, shy and scared sometimes, but we know a lot of it is in our own head. So come one, pull your pants up, pull tight your pony tail and just do it!
And you are NEVER too old to exercise. There is a form of movement for everyone. The most important thing is that you just keep moving!
I HATE EXERCISING
This one is easy - you just haven't found the right exercise for you! If you hate running, don't run, if you have no rhythm, don't do aerobics. Find some form of movement that suits you. Do you like music, do you like being with people or working out alone, do you like lifting weights or do you like group work like netball? There is something out there for everyone, so try loads of different things and find something that you'll eventually grow to love!
I'M TOO TIRED
Exercising will GIVE you more energy. Sometimes participants will say to me at the start of the class, I'm SO TIRED, I can't do this and after the hour they literally bounce out of the room. If you are permanently tired, have a look at your diet, if it's full of salt and sugar and you eat a lot of processed food, you will be tired a lot of the time. Try eating healthier, look at supplements you can take and see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't go and see your GP.
Are your stress levels high? Try taking 30 minutes every day to totally destress. Turn off your phone and go for a walk, take a bath, play with the kids. Do Pilates! Anything to take your mind off stress!
IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE
When I first came back from Australia and I wasn't teaching, I used to give this excuse. I refused to join a gym as I thought the prices were extortionate. I went for about two years running and walking to keep fit. I was miserable and lonely, I had no one to share my fitness wins with! My fitness level dropped, I put weight on, I dreaded going out in the rain and dark, so didn't and eventually I got a plantar fasciatis which stopped me running! I gave in and joined a gym. I've never looked back.
For me, exercise is not just about being fit, it's the social side, it's my mental health, it's part of my life, not something I do because I have to, it's not an add on to my life. It's like brushing my teeth, something I do every day. It keeps me alive, it makes me feel amazing and gives me a much better and healthier life. That's worth every single penny I pay!
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